Antarctic Guard
The Antarctic Guard ( ) is a type of enemy from Strider 2. The Antarctic Guards are a soldier unit serving the defense of the top secret Antarctica Research Lab. Members of this unit have been enhanced through the administration of special drugs by Kraken Chemical to increasing either their fat or muscular mass for specialized purposesCapcom (February 22, 2014). Strider Hiryu Visual Chronicle (Japanese). Pg. 39. These soldiers wear a hooded winter uniform marked with the company's logo and gas masks, and wield primarily battle axes to fight, with some carrying machineguns as well. Information Fat-enhanced Guard Appears in Stage 3 (Antarctica Research Lab), Scenes 1 (higher difficulties) and 2. The Fat-enhanced Guard ( ) is an Antarctic Guard whose body fat has been chemically enhanced, giving them a small, chubby appearance. While this was presumably done to make them more resistant to the area's cold weather, it made them both slower and clumsier while moving around, and prone to tripping while running. These guards wield a machinegun and a small handaxe as their weapons. This soldier acts in two different ways: Those meet in the first area will always move away from Hiryu and attack from afar with their guns, whereas those in the second area will approach him, produce their handaxe and attempt to strike at him, only taking out their guns if Hiryu moves away from them. Muscle-enhanced Guard Appears in Stage 3 (Antarctica Research Lab), Scene 2. The Muscle-enhanced Guard ( ) is an Antarctic Guard whose musculature has been chemically enhanced, giving them a larger, more imposing appearance. As it'd be expected, these soldiers are faster and much more nimble than their chubbier counterparts, walking and jumping around when pursuing Hiryu. They only carry a big two-handed axe they use to attack up-close. The Muscle-enhanced Guard approaches Hiryu slowly with their weapon ready, then perform a quick strike to hit him. If Hiryu's far away or climbing above their heads, they will instead perform a leap forward and strike at him while in mid-flight. Unlike most other cases, the red guard is the most common out of the two color variations, with the blue variant only appearing in higher difficulties. Even then, the red guards are unique in that they can drop Power-Up Items when defeated instead of Zenny. Gorilla Guard Mid-boss in Stage 3 (Antarctica Research Lab), Scene 4. The Gorilla Guard ( )MVP (February 04, 2000). "Strider Hiryu 2" (Japanese). Arcadia (Vol. 2). Pg. 94. is a mid-boss encountered inside the Lab's Research Section, in a gravity-inversed room. The Gorilla Guard is even more muscular than the Muscle-enhanced Guards, displaying larger muscular arms and a bigger body frame. He carries a small handaxe he uses as a throwing weapon: once thrown, it will spin a small distance in front of him before returning. He can also throw Ice Gears around the room, which will then attack Hiryu. During the battle, both Hiryu and the Gorilla Guard are clinging to a metal grate while "upside-down", due to the inversed gravity in the area. The Gorilla Guard will simply move towards Hiryu and attack. With no defense moves to protect himself, he can be easily killed with a barrage of slashes, which locks him in place giving him no chance to retaliate. Tactical Team Member The Tactical Team Member ( ) is a minor character, part of a specialized unit within the Antarctic Guards. This soldier wears a different uniform than the basic guards, using a form-fitting blue suit with a cap, goggles and a yellow scarf. He also doesn't present any visible body enhancement. As the name indicates this man is part of a special task force unit in charge of the group's armed snowmobiles, which includes the Missile Mobile and the bike-like Snow Vehicle. He appears driving the former at the end of the first area, and is killed when Hiryu destroys it. Gallery Str2_antarctic_guard_fat_concept.png|Fat-enhanced Guard Str2_antarctic_guard_muscle_concept.png|Muscle-enhanced Guard References Category:Characters Category:Stage Enemies Category:Bosses